FAQ Palm Oil

by | Mar 27, 2019

What is palm oil?

Palm oil originates from the fruit
of the oil palm tree, native to South America and Western Africa. There are two
varieties of oil palm, Elaeis guineensis
and Elaeis oleifer[1].
The palm oil tree produces two types of oil, palm kernel oil that comes from the
seed, and palm oil, which comes from the fruit of the tree.

What is palm oil used for?

Palm oil is one of the most
consumed vegetable oils on the planet and is in about half of all packaged
products sold in the supermarkets. 72% of palm oil is used for food, 18% is
used for cleaning & personal care and 10% is used for feedstock and Biofuel[2].

Where is it grown?

Palm oil is grown and produced throughout Africa, Asia, North America and South America. With 85% of palm oil being produced and exported from Indonesia and Malaysia[3].

What are the major problems in palm cultivation

Palm cultivation is causing several problems, particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia? Some include:

-An increase in deforestation in bio-diverse areas due to monoculture palm plantations, creating the destruction of ecosystems and animal habitats.

-Land being stripped from Indigenous people and used to develop oil plantations by large corporations

-Increased association between human rights abuse and conflict with land grabbing.

-Poor and unsafe working conditions and pay as well as potential child labour.

-Pollution of land and water supplies caused by plantations’ use of illegal and legal chemicals.

-Illegal acts of bribery and corruption used to increase plantations.

What is sustainable palm oil?

Sustainable palm oil is defined as
certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) and palm kernel oil (CSPKO) as produced
by palm oil plantations which have been independently audited and certified
against the RSPO – Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil standard.

Who are the RSPO?

The Roundtable of Sustainable Palm
Oil (RSPO) was created in 2004 to advocate the production and use of
sustainable palm oil for the planet, prosperity and people. Forty percent of
the world’s palm oil producers are members of the RSPO, including product
manufacturers, retailers, environmental and non-government organisations (NGOs)[5].

Certified sustainable palm oil
means that the palm oil that is grown has been certified against the 8 RSPO
principles and criteria. These strict sustainability criteria relate to social,
environmental and economic good practice.

A manufacturer can claim to be a
member of the RSPO without sourcing certified sustainable palm oil, therefore
it does not mean that the brand is sourcing sustainable palm oil. Investigations
on the ground suggest some companies are not following their promised
sustainable palm oil commitments. The RSPO have good intentions, however, and as
consumers it’s important to research into each company to truly get an
indication of the organisation’s genuine commitment to certified sustainable
palm oil. [6]

The Problem with Palm Oil

Health

Palm
oil has a significant effect on our health directly through the consumption and
indirectly through its production. [7]

Palm
oil is high in saturated fats which are known to raise cholesterol which
increases the risk of heart disease. Palm oil is considered a healthier
alternative to other cooking oils which are high in trans-fats, however, during
the manufacturing process it becomes oxidised,
reducing some of its health benefits. Furthermore, frying the oil at high
temperatures can also lead to the loss of some of its health properties.

The production of palm oil can cause many negative environmental
impacts which in-turn are harmful to human health. These include:

-Water quality affected by extensive use of fertilisers & pesticides on plantations

Environment

50 billion kilograms of palm oil is produced every year, which is equivalent to the weight of 10 million Asian Elephants. Much of this palm oil being produced is done unsustainably which is as a result, causing serious damage to the environment. [8]

The main damage:

-Deforestation of native rainforests, it has been predicted by the UN that most of Indonesia’s forest might be destroyed by 2022.

-Land clearance for plantations removes fragments and damages important wildlife habitats, leading to a high loss of species.

-Greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation is estimated to account for 10% of manmade CO2 emissions.

Animal Cruelty

-In order to make room for palm oil plantations, significant amounts of land have had to be cleared, resulting in the loss of local wildlife’s homes. This also opens up previously inaccessible areas of forest, further increasing the amount of illegal hunting and poaching of native animals such as the orangutans.[9]

-The loss of these animals’ natural habitat means that they are being forced into foreign areas of land like the palm oil plantations in search of food or a new home. Workers on these plantations see these animals as pests and they are often killed or taken to be sold to the highest bidder.

-It is often that mother Orangutans are killed, and their babies are stolen to be sold as pets.

Social

The production of palm oil has a significant
effect on many social issues regarding land rights, poor working conditions,
child labour, restricted access to facilities:[10]

-Indigenous peoples customary land rights where palm oil is produced is often not recognised by the state, resulting in the governments handing over their land to large palm oil companies without their knowledge or consent. As a result, villagers have been pushed out and displaced out of their traditional farming areas by corporate land grabs.

-Workers on palm oil plantations often live in poor conditions without access to clean water and lighting.[11]

-Child labour is a prevalent issue in Malaysian and Indonesian plantations. These children receive little or no pay and are forced to endure harsh working conditions which include, long hours and exposure to toxic chemicals. It is estimated that between 72,000 and 200,000 stateless children work on palm oil plantations in Malaysia

-Displaced communities are forced to farm further away from towns, which restricts their access to markets for their produce, as well as their access to basic services such as health care and education.

-Many communities rely on forest resources for food and medical purposes. As a result of deforestation, local’s access to clean water and fertile soils leads to the loss of farming, fishing and hunting for food.